The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer wants "nothing but happiness" for Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist after divorce announcement

The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer reacted to the divorce announcement of contestants Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist after the duo announced the same on Good Morning America. Palmer shared his message via an Instagram post on April 13, 2024.

During an appearance on Good Morning America on Friday, April 12, 2024, The Golden Bachelor contestants Gerry Turner, 72, and Theresa Nist, 70, announced they were divorcing three months after tying the knot in a lavish televised ceremony in January 2024.

On the heels of the announcement, Jesse Palmer, who has hosted the Bachelor franchise since 2021, took to Instagram and sent his love to the contestants. In the post, Palmer shared an image of himself, Nist, and Turner taken at the taping of the Golden Bachelor finale, saying he is eternally grateful to the “two beautiful souls” for allowing him to be part of their journey.

“My heart is forever with these two beautiful souls. I am eternally grateful to have gotten to know Gerry and Theresa and to have been a small part of their journey.”

Palmer added he has learned a lot about life by watching the duo and concluded the post adding he wished them the best.

“I learned a lot about life, love and family watching and talking with them. Wishing them and their families both nothing but happiness.”

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Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announce divorce three months after marriage

On Friday, Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced on Good Morning America that they have decided to sever ties just three months after their wedding. During the interview, Turner explained to GMA host Juju Chang:

“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, and so forth, and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage."

Nist revealed location was potentially a contributing factor to their divorce as they couldn’t agree on a permanent residence. Turner lived in Hunson, Indiana while Nist resided in New Jersey.

“We looked at homes in South Carolina, we considered New Jersey, and we just looked at home after home," she said, "but we never got to the point where we made that decision.”

Gerry Turner, the franchise’s first senior Bachelor in history, proposed to Theresa Nist during the season finale of the show in November 2023. Turner quickly endeared himself to the audience with a tragic backstory alleging he’d lost his wife, Toni, after 40 years of marriage in 2017 and hadn't dated since.

The show, which was initially a huge success, was marred by controversy after Hollywood Reporter in December 2023 revealed The Golden Bachelor, who claimed not to have dated a woman since his wife’s death, allegedly began dating again within months of his wife’s passing. The alleged ex-girlfriend told the Hollywood Reporter:

“The idea that I’d go out with a recent widower just mortifies me. I just really didn’t see it. Until I went back and looked at my text messages”

The ex-girlfriend went on to claim that Gerry Turner, who had allegedly forced her to move in with him after dating for nearly a year, made her leave without warning after implying she was faking an injury to stay in the house.

Gerry Turner, who confessed he dated before starring in the show, refuted the claims. During an interview with Katie Couric, he said:

“I dated a number of women, but then it becomes an issue of how you define whether you’re in a relationship.”

However, the controversy did not deter Theresa Nist from walking down the aisle on January 4, 2024, in a lavish wedding ceremony watched by millions of viewers.